The invention relates to a mold for frying a taco shell.
Tacos are Mexican in origin, but have gained widespread acceptance in the United States in recent years. Whereas the tortilla for the Mexican form of taco is usually cooked flat without special utensils and folded after the ingredients are placed on the tortilla, the interest in this country has been in using crisp taco shells pre-formed for receiving a filling, usually hot meats and condiments, just prior to serving. Pre-formed, crisp taco shells are sold in stores, but are often expensive, $1 or more per dozen, and also are often found to have been broken in shipment. Soft tortillas are also available in stores, either frozen or fresh, for 50-60 cents per dozen. Taco shells made with such fresh tortillas and cooked in fresh oil generally have a much better taste than the pre-formed shells. A way to fry the soft tortillas into the crisp, pre-formed taco shells desired would thus both save money and create a fresher, higher-quality, better-tasting taco shell.
The desired form of cooked-crisp taco shell is evenly folded in half and open at the top to receive the filling. Because the tortilla becomes very limp when first placed in hot cooking oil, it will not retain this open shape without either a mold or by floating in deep fat. Whereas deep fat frying might be appropriate for restaurants, it is costly and has declined in use in households in recent years. A mold capable of forming a taco shell in very shallow oil in a normal household-sized frying pan is therefore desirable.
One problem with such molds has been clearing the sides of the frying pan with handles for the mold while keeping the mold flat against the frying pan bottom to allow minimum oil use. Prior mold constructions have tried to solve this problem with loosely connected handles or s-shaped bends in them. The former limits the control the cook has over the mold and the latter limits its location in the pan and thus the pan size.
Also, because a meal may consist of several tacos, it is desirable to reduce the time and effort necessary to perform each taco shell-frying task. Some mold constructions make it necessary to affix the tortilla with special clips or connectors which, after a first taco shell has been cooked, are hot and tend to burn the cook's fingers when touched to insert another tortilla. A better way to open and close a mold to insert a soft tortilla or to retrieve a finished taco shell is therefore desirable for convenience and safety.